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| (AMC) |
I’m going to let my official review of Better Call Saul from last month stand for now, mainly because my thoughts are mostly unchanged. But a few words on the season as a whole…
The back half of Better Call Saul’s debut season did a strong job of building up the ensemble around Jimmy and Mike. In particular, the confrontation between Chuck and Jimmy that ended the penultimate episode was viscerally effective, and the follow-up work in the finale nicely filled in why, exactly, Patrick Fabian’s Howard was depicted as such an empty suit. I still didn’t care much for Kim; given the great moments Fabian got to play in those last two episodes, it’s disappointing that the show’s only female character turned out to be the sorely-underwritten black sheep among such a great group of characters (and actors).
You might call Better Call Saul milquetoast TV. It’s quietly character-driven, averse to salacious storytelling of any kind. In that way, there’s an admirable, subtle confidence with which the show operates. There’s no pressure to raise the dramatic stakes, or to force in emotional investment. Sometimes, admittedly, there’s a distance between the audience and the show that can be difficult to bridge. It’s conveyed in beautifully expansive imagery, but while pretty to look at, sometimes you’re waiting for that oomph. Yet the wheels are always turning in the minds of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, and the character arcs they sketched out this season were superbly-executed. This is very much a sit-back-and-watch show, to take in its visuals and get absorbed in its world, and overall, the experience thus far is refreshingly different and relaxed.
Bob Odenkirk also emerged as a revelatory dramatic actor. He surprised me with each episode, both in terms of what he could do and how well he could do it. He was an anchor to Saul, quite surprisingly infusing it with heart and soul and a character worth getting behind. In particular, his rapport with Mel Rodriguez in the season finale revealed the many sides of Jimmy McGill in a way that sort-of introduced Saul Goodman, but within the confines of Jimmy as we’ve come to know him. Given that Odenkirk is playing a character we know extremely well but through a substantially different lens, that he’s managed to craft a protagonist so independently compelling is actually quite remarkable.
This first season ended with a muted digression, very much Better Call Saul for better and for worse. You never know what you’re going to get episode-to-episode, both because of the show’s characteristic looseness and the fact that it’s still yet to completely figure itself out. The characters are not Mad Men-level engaging, and yet the actual skeleton of what’s going on -- most notably, the season-ending elder law class action -- never digs beyond a superficial level. And yet, this season of Better Call Saul was better and more fully-formed than I had any reason to think it would be. I’ve come away very confident in those behind the show’s creative direction. This was a successful freshman run, tonally distinct and darkly, sparingly funny, but for the show to continue its run, season 2 will need more of a narrative drive behind it. Better Call Saul has avoided a definition based on its predecessor, and that’s something to commend. But now comes the harder job: finding a voice that exponentiates its vitality.
For my deeper analysis of the show, check out my full review from midseason.